


Leave Your Heart On The Court

by MateaD



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Basketball, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, High School, M/M, Slow Burn, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:48:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28160046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MateaD/pseuds/MateaD
Summary: More than ten thousand fans have gathered to see LA Durmstrag, last year's state champions battle SF Hogwarts for this year's state championship title. This is the first time in seven years that SF Hogwarts has a big chance of winning a state championship lead by Coach Armando Dippet, in what will the last game of his career and captain of the Hogwarts team, 17-year-old Albus Dumbledore. The Hogwarts point guard will have to face equally impressive 17-year-old Gellert Grindelwald, captain of Durmstrang and son of former NBA player Eric Grindelwald, lead by Coach Jacob Munter.A basketball AU where the two enemies on the court, will have to learn how to play together.
Relationships: Aberforth Dumbledore/Vinda Rosier, Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald
Comments: 10
Kudos: 21





	1. The Game

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing fanfiction in any language, especially in a foreign language, so please, be gentle with me. If you have any suggestions or notice any mistakes, feel free to comment. Thank you for reading! ;)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the two best players this game has ever seen finally meet on the court, which of them will be taking the title of the state's basketball champion?

_Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to what may be the biggest day in the history of the Hogwarts basketball team. More than ten thousand fans have gathered to see LA Durmstrag, last year's state champions battle SF Hogwarts for this year's state championship title. This is the first time in seven years that SF Hogwarts has a big chance of winning a state championship lead by Coach Armando Dippet, in what will the last game of his career and captain of the Hogwarts team, 17-year-old Albus Dumbledore. The Hogwarts point guard will have to face equally impressive 17-year-old Gellert Grindelwald, captain of Durmstrang and son of former NBA player Eric Grindelwald, lead by Coach Jacob Munter._

The atmosphere in SF Hogwarts' locker room was palpable. Everyone was quietly doing their thing – some were praying, others listening to music to hype them up, but Albus Dumbledore was sitting hunched over on a bench in his black jersey with gold number 7, resting his elbows on his thighs, thinking how much his life has changed in the last 3 months. At the time, he was only playing streetball with Elphias, his best friend, and his moody younger brother Aberforth but now, all three of them were wearing jerseys with gold Hogwarts crest reading “Never tickle a sleeping dragon”, playing the final game in the CA state championship. If someone had told him then he would go from being an almost invisible geek to one of the most popular guys in school, he would have laughed in their face. 

The reason why they were playing for the school team was that at the beginning of this school year, half the team decided to steal a school bus and throw a party after which they were caught, suspended, and forbidden from playing basketball. Since the old Coach Dippet knew that Albus is passionate about basketball, he decided to persuade Albus to join the team and bring with him Elphias and Aberforth which was not an easy task, but Albus always had a soft spot for the wise old coach so he begged both of them (Aberforth more than Elphias) until they said yes. 

Ever since he was a little boy, Albus loved to play basketball with his dad. They use to go to a basketball court near their home in San Francisco and play for hours on end – those were his favorite childhood memories. Now he doesn't like to think about that.

"Five minutes till the game!" warned Coach Dippet. "I’m sick and tired of hearing about what a great basketball team Durmstrang has. Screw 'em. This is your time. Now go out there and take it!"

Albus felt stupid for wasting time thinking about the past which only made him sad, while he should have been thinking about what he will say to his nervous teammates. He took a deep breath and listened to the murmurs coming from excited fans in the arena. For better or for worse, now he will have to wing it. 

"Okay, this will not be easy. We are playing against one of the best teams there is, but together, playing as one, we can beat them. I've seen you leave your blood, sweat, and tears on the court, but tonight I want you to play like this is your last game and give me everything you have. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, so don't blow it! No one deserves this win more than we do, so let's give our coach game he won't forget and win for him, and win for us!" Albus exclaimed. "On three, let's go dragons! ONE! TWO! THREE!"

"LET'S GO DRAGONS, LET'S GO!" everybody yelled and Albus felt proud to be a part of this team.

Not far away from Hogwarts' locker room was another locker room in which a young Gellert Grindelwald was listening to 'Lose Yourself' by Eminem while leaning on one of the lockers. Listening to this song before the game became his little pre-game ritual. The atmosphere in LA Durmstrang's locker room was much more relaxed. Travers and Abernathy were planing a post-game party when Gellert's father walked in.

Gellert reluctantly took off his headphones and put his phone in his gym bag.

"This is a closed locker room. No visitors!" warned Coach Munter. "No matter who you are, Eric."

"I just want to talk to my son; give him a tip or two about this night's game." replayed his father.

"Fine, but make it quick. The game starts in five," the coach replayed.

His father turned to Gellert and said to him in a low voice, "Listen, there are three scouts from some of the best colleges. You need to win this game no matter what if you want to impress them. This kid, Albus Dumbledore, I have seen him play a few games, and he's almost as good as you are, but you can't let the kid who never before played varsity beat you."

"Thanks for the advice," Gellert replayed sarcastically. "I'll do my best."

His father grabbed him by the jersey and threatened, "Remember who you're talking to. I'm not one of your friends, Gellert."

Gellert pushed his father away and strengthened his jersey, but before he had time to respond to him, Coach Munter was already showing his father the way out. He and his father always had a complicated relationship. He was mostly not home, but ever since his mother died, his father became a grade-A asshole, always comparing the two of them. Gellert thinks he's an asshole because he's just jealous of his son playing better than him.

"Okay, time to get out and win this game!" called Munter. "If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book, we're gonna be winners."

"This is our time. Now go out there and take it!" exclaimed Gellert, and everybody started clapping.

_While Dawlish is addressing the crowd here in Golden 1 Centar, let's go over starting lineups. First for the LA Durmstrang: G. Grindelwald, PG #3; T. Travers, SG #17; L. Grimmson, SF #9; D. Abernathy, PF #14; N. Carrow, C #17. Now for the SF Hogwarts: A. Dumbledore, PG #7; A. Dumbledore, SG #4; H. Slughorn, SF #8; A. Moody, PF #13; E. Doge, C #26. And finally, the teams are here, and the fans are going crazy. They are expecting to see a battle for the ages between the two best young players this game has ever seen._

Albus Dumbledore was walking to a court, trying to take this all in. He had never played in front of this many people, and he was beginning to feel nervous. He could hear people calling his name - it felt exhilarating. Albus tried to find his mother and Ariana in the crowd, but he couldn't.

He turned to Aberforth and asked him, "Have you seen mom?"

"I haven't, and I don't think I will in this crowd." Aberforth replayed.

"Yea, I know. It's quite overwhelming.", Albus said and tried to calm down and prepare for a jump ball against Durmstrang's captain Gellert Grindelwald. He has heard so much about Grindelwald but hadn't had a chance to see him play. 'I guess this will change tonight.' he thought. He walked over to the center of the court, where he finally faced the boy everyone talked about.

Gellert Grindelwald was a young boy with blonde shoulder-length hair and beautifully mismatched eyes. He was maybe an inch or two taller than Albus with a few tattoos. As soon as Albus saw him, he was mesmerized. He couldn't stop looking at him - Gellert was the most beautiful boy Albus has ever seen.

Gellert was standing at the center of the arena, looking for his father somewhere in the front row. He was in a good mood, despite the fight they had earlier. He was confident because he knew that he was one of the best players there is, if not the best, even though many liked to compare him to his father.

He saw a referee coming signaling the beginning of the game, so he turned his head in front of himself, and the first thing he saw was a pair of brilliant blue eyes looking at him. Those eyes belonged to Hogwarts' captain Albus Dumbledore.

Gellert has heard so much about this Albus Dumbledore, whose per-game statistics said it all. Albus was supposed to be as good as Gellert was, which he thought was impossible, especially for someone who started to play varsity basketball just last year. But there he was - playing the final game in the championship against Gellert.

Albus Dumbledore was a bit shorter than him, with eyes that almost sparkled and dirty blond, curly hair. He had a 3-day stubble, which made him even more handsome in Gellert's eyes. When Gellert realized that Albus was as fascinated with him as he was with Albus, he decided to throw him a cocky smirk, the one that everybody fell for.

"Good luck tonight!" Gellert said confidently with a hint of a smile.

Surprised by the boy in front of him, Albus replayed with a shy smile, "Thanks, you too."

_Okay, folks, this is the one we've all been waiting for! It's the San Francisco Hogwarts and Los Angeles Durmstrang for the California state basketball championship. Brought to you by Sleekeazy's Hair Potion.  
Durmstrang's Gellert Grindelwald is jumping up against Hogwarts' Albus Dumbledore, and Durmstrang wins the tip. _

Dumbledore rushes for the ball, and he steals it from Travers. He tries to make it to the basket, but Gellert seems to read his mind, so he passes the ball to Elphias, Elphias passes it to Moody and...

_Moody scores the first basket of the night! Hogwarts is in the lead with three points._

Aberforth has the ball. He tries to shoot it, but Grimmson blocks it. Grimmson passes the ball to Carrow, Carrow passes it to Grindelwald, and Albus tries to block it, but he fails.

_Grindelwald scores! Three points for Durmstrang._

Gellert turns to Albus and winks at him with another cocky smile.' He's good', Albus thinks to himself.

The rest of the game went the same – it was mostly a battle between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. By the end of the first half, Durmstrang was leading by one point. Albus was happy to take a break for 15 minutes; he felt exhausted but exhilarated. He just played the best game of his life.

Gellert felt the same - he finally found a worthy opponent.

In the Hogwarts' locker room, Coach Dippet explained the game plan for the second half of the game.

"Listen up here! Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here tonight, boys. That's what you earned here tonight." Coach Dippet started. "One game... If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight we win. You know why? Because tonight, WE are the best basketball team there is."

"Aberforth, I'll need you to make some space for Albus," Dippet explained. "Elphias, I'll need you to pass more balls to Moody if Albus is not free." he continued. "Moody, if you can't shoot, pass the ball to Aberforth, which will hopefully move Grindelwald away from Albus and free him to shoot, or you can pass the ball to Slughorn."

While Coach Dippet was telling everyone what to do, Albus was resting on the bench. He considered taking his beta blockers but decided against it. Instead, he used his towel to dry himself and drank some water.

Beta blockers helped his long QT syndrome (LQTS) by slowing his heart rate, but they also made him not play by his standards, and tonight he wanted to play his best game despite the risk of life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms and fainting.

He loved the game, and all he wanted to do is prove himself one of the best players. He knew that Dippet called scouts from UCLA and Duke to watch the game and that this was his chance to get a basketball scholarship to some of the best universities.

Gellert was walking to their locker room when he was interrupted by a female voice, "Only 21 points - that's not Gellert, I know."

The voice belonged to Gellert's best friend and ex-girlfriend, Vinda Rosier. Vinda was a captain of Durmstrang's cheerleading team and an exceptionally beautiful girl with her long, brown hair tied in a ponytail and green eyes.

"That's not bad! And still... I'm the best scoring player tonight." Gellert replayed.

"Well, Dumbledore is not far from you," she said teasingly.

"Did you came here only to insult my game, or do you need something?" he asked even though he was annoyed.

"No, of course not! I would never!" Vinda replayed sarcastically and winked at him. "Queenie sent me. She's wondering if you'll be spending time tonight after the game." she replayed, trying not to roll her eyes at the fact that she was used as a messenger for this on-again, off-again couple.

"I'm not sure. The guys were planning a party or something." Gellert answered. "You can tell her she can wait in my room if she wants to."

"Listen, I gotta go see what Munter has to say now, but I'll see you later." he said and kissed Vinda softly on the cheek.

He was entering a locker room when he heard Munter ask, "Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on how to win this game?"

Somebody replayed, "Maybe you should take Albus Dumbledore out of the game. Without him, their team is lost."

It was Gellert's father. 'Of course', Gellert thought. 'Who else would it be.'

"Eric, I've told you this once already - THIS IS A CLOSED LOCKER ROOM. Leave my boys alone with your ideas. I'm here to coach, and you're here to watch." Munter was having non of it.

"I want the same as everyone else here. Durmstrang's win." Eric replayed and left the room.

"Don't listen to him. What we'll do is continue to play like we played all night. We've gone through the game plan extensively, and you all know what to do. I know that some of you are tired and in pain, and I know that you have your problems at home," he looked at Gellert, "but I want you to leave all of that behind because, THIS, what we have tonight, will last. Whether you win or lose. But remember, winning is more fun." Munter concluded.

_What a suspenseful first half we had! Only 30 minutes into the game, but, unquestionably, this is the duel of the century. Both teams are playing the best game of the season, but it's mostly Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald everyone is talking about. Those two are on fire tonight. If they continue to play like this, soon they'll become the youngest players in the NBA. Eric Grindelwald must be the proudest dad in the world; to have a son who plays like a pro at only 17 is a dream of every NBA player._

_Only a minute till the second half of the game and the players are already outside the jump circle. If the first half was anything to go by, we're in for a treat. Hogwarts' Aberforth Dumbledore will be jumping off against Durmsrang's Abernathy for the ball. Durmstrang wins the tip._

Grimmson has the ball, he passes it to Travers. Travers tries to dunk, but Aberforth blocks the ball. Grindelwald has the ball and he shoots it.

_Three points for Durmstrang! It's 42:38 for Durmstrang. Twenty-one points for Grindelwald - the kid is killing it!_

Slughorn passes the ball to Doge, Doge throws the ball to Aberforth; Aberforth pretends to shoot, and Grindelwald rushes to block it, but instead, he passes the ball to Albus who's now free.

_Dumbledore scores! Three points for Hogwarts! It's 42:41 for Durmstrang. With twenty points, Dumbledore is not far from Grindelwald. What a thrilling game this is._

Time was running on the clock, but Durmstrang was still leading by one point. For every basket Albus scored, Gellert would score one too. Albus should have been angry or annoyed, but all he was thinking was how breathtaking Gellert is. Gellert was quick and confident, more than he is, and at moments, Albus felt jealous of the easiness with which Gellert played.

What he didn't know, was how impressed Gellert was with him. Albus played with such talent and joy, he almost radiated. Gellert was used to being the best, and it almost became boring - being on top, alone. All of that changed when he saw Albus play. He was as talented as Gellert was and maybe more.

 _With only 23 seconds left on the clock, Coach Dippet calls for a time-out. Durmstrang is still in the lead with 72:71. Hogwarts has possession of the ball, but if they want to win, they will have to score two points, or one point to go overtime._ _It won't be easy_ _since Durmstrang has a strong defense._

Albus was drinking water when Coach Dippet turned to him and said, "Albus, Moody, it's all up to you. You are our best scorers. Everybody else," he looked at others, "try passing the ball to one of them. We are only two points from victory. WE can do this! Dragons on three? One, two, three!"

"Dragons!" the whole team cheered.

On the other side of the court, Coach Munter was giving instructions, "They have a ball, so your two options are to try and close them off until the clock runs down or try and steal possession of the ball. We are so close to the victory. Don't lose now."

Gellert and the rest of his teammates put their fists in the middle of the circle they formed and yelled, "DURMSTRANG!"

_It' now or never for Hogwarts._

Slughorn has the ball, he's closed by Grimmald so he passes the ball to Doge. Doge passes the ball to Moody.

_Fifteen seconds on the clock!_

Moody tries to shoot, but he's closed off so he passes the ball to Albus.

_TEN seconds on the clock!_

With less than ten seconds on the clock, Albus tries to dunk, but Grindelwald and Travers are next to him. Gellert jumps for the ball, he's trying to block it, but Travers is going right in Dumbledore's face with his elbow.

_My goodness! Albus Dumbledore is down! He took a shot to the face and it looks like he's bleeding. The referee is signaling an intentional foul. Let's just hope Dumbledore is okay._

Albus lay down on the floor. He was holding what he thought, was his broken nose. When Aberforth realized what happened, he wasted no time. He pushed Travers as hard as he could, which lead to a fight. Travers fell to the floor, and Gellert tried to come between them, but it only resulted in Aberforth attacking him instead. Gellert pushed back and soon, the rest of the teammates were coming to their team's defense while Munter, Dippet and the referee tried to break up the fight. By the time everyone calmed down, Albus was sitting down, icing his face. He was still bleeding a little, but at least his nose wasn't broken.

_As a penalty for flagrant foul, Torquil Travers will be ejected from the game, and Hogwarts will be awarded two free throws and possession of the ball._

Albus removed ice from his face and walked over to Coach Dippet.

"I'm ready to shoot free throws. You said it yourself - I'm the best shooter on the team," he said assuringly.

"Are you sure you can do it?" Dippet asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." Albus replayed and smiled at his old coach.

 _It looks like Albus Dumbledore is ready to shoot free throws._ _He'll have to make both baskets for the win or one to go in overtime._

Albus approached the free throw line confidently, and Gellert knew at that moment that he lost the game. He didn't need to watch the outcome to understand what will happen. He saw the look Albus had on his face, the same one he recognized on himself, the look champions had.

Albus took a deep breath, he listened to the crowd cheering him on and shoot. 

_He scores! Albus Dumbledore scores! Durmstrang and Hogwarts are tied with 72:72! If Dumbledore scores the next basket, with 2 seconds left on the clock, there is no way Durmstrang can win, which means Hogwarts will take home the championship first time after seven years._

'This is it.' Albus thought. He dribbled the ball once, twice, then he took another deep breath and went for it.

_HE SCORES! Albus Dumbledore scores again!_

The crowd started cheering and clapping, and his teammates rushed to him. Aberforth and Elphias even lifted Albus in the air. From there, he could see a young Gellert Grindelwald smiling softly at him.

 _Ladies and gentlemen,_ _WE HAVE THE NEW CALIFORNIA STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS! What a game this was. Everyone who's here tonight will remember this night for the rest of their lives._

Albus was never as happy as he was tonight.


	2. The party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gellert attends the party hosted by one of the players of the winning team, but things quickly escalate and he's forced to leave.

Gellert Grindelwald was putting on his Dr. Martens shoes in the locker room, when Coach Munter approached him saying, "Gellert, some scouts want to talk with you and Dumbledore outside the locker rooms. I think you should go and say hello to them," he started, but clearly seeing Gellert's lack of enthusiasm added, "I think I saw scout from Duke with them."

Gellert loosely laced his worn-out Dr. Martens and headed off to talk to scouts. Even though he wasn't in a mood for a talk, he wanted to hear what they had to say to him, and a part of him wanted to see what Albus Dumbledore was planning on after high-school. 

Albus was talking to some scout about tonight's game when he saw Gellert approaching. Gellert Grindelwald was wearing a black leather jacket and ripped jeans, which looked so amazing on him that Albus completely forgot to listen to the conversation, so when he got out of the trance caused by Grindelwald, he didn't know how to respond. He just smiled and politely nodded. Gellert shook hands with everyone, including Albus with whom, he could swear, he felt instant electricity.

"So Gellert, we were just talking with Albus about his plans after high-school." started one of the scouts. "He's still looking for options," Gellert turned with curiosity to Albus, but he shyly looked away, "but I've heard you are interested in becoming one of the Duke Blue Devils." concluded scout.

"That was always the plan," Gellert responded while turning away from Albus. "Blue and white run through my veins."

"Duke would be happy to have a player like you," the Duke scout chimed in. "We are looking forward to seeing you play next season. Albus, you as well." 

"And if you happen to change your mind, the Kentucky Wildcats would be lucky to have you." replayed scout from the University of Kentucky."You too, Albus." 

"Thank you!" Gellert responded.

"Thank you, sir," Albus replayed.

"But if you continue to play like tonight, we will have to fight the scouts from the NBA," one of the scouts chimed in. "Thank God you're only 17, or they would already be here." 

During the whole conversation with scouts, Albus kept glancing at Gellert, impressed by his way of speaking and how charming he actually was. At times, Gellert would look at him and smile lightly, but Albus would just look to the ground, pretending like he wasn't staring at him. When scouts left, leaving him and Gellert alone, he decided to use that as an opportunity to congratulate Grindelwald on the way he played tonight, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by Gellert.

"How's your nose? Does it still hurt?" he asked, walking to locker rooms.

"Not really," Albus replayed. "Well, maybe a little, but at least it's not broken."

"That would be a pity - you have such a cute nose." Gellert replayed and walked to his locker room, leaving Albus red-faced and confused by his compliment.

Albus didn't know whether Grindelwald was just mocking him, or he actually meant what he said. Or maybe none of it. He was so caught up in his thought, that he didn't actually notice the now empty locker room until overly enthused Aberforth interrupted him

"There you are! I told mum we are going to celebrate tonight's win at Slughorn's house," he started excitedly. "His parents aren't home, so we're having a party tonight. Before you ask anything, I just want you to know that I've already packed your bag, and the rest of the team is waiting on the bus."

"We got invited to a house party in San Francisco!" Vinda spoke fast in excitement as soon as she saw Gellert walk into a locker room.

"Who's we?" he asked.

"Us cheerleaders, of course! Some guy from their team is throwing a party to celebrate the win, so he decided to invite us. But that extends to you too. I thought that there is no better way to drown our sorrows, than drinking for free." she replayed happily to cheer him on.

"Who else is going?" he asked, not overly enthusiastic about attending a party. 

"You, me, the rest of your team, most of the cheerleaders and their boyfriends... You know, the usual crowd." Vinda replayed.

"And where are they?" he asked again after noticing that his team was missing.

"They are on the bus. Munter wanted to wait for you, but your father told him he would drive you to the hotel," she explained.

"Of course he would..." he replayed so softly that Vinda could barely hear him.

"Hey, look at me!" she started while lifting his head lightly by the chin, "It won't be that bad... If you want, you can come with me to San Francisco. I'm driving the rest of the girls straight to the party anyway."

"No need. I'll have to see my dad eventually, so why not now," Gellert replayed. "And I wanted to talk to him anyway."

"Your choice," she replayed and added with a wink, "but if you change your mind, you always have my number."

"Thanks, babe," he replayed with a small laugh.

"Before you say anything, I'm not in the mood for one of your lectures," Gellert announced to his father while throwing his gym back in the back seat of the black Range Rover. He took his headphones from his bag and put them in one of the pockets of his leather jacket, just in case he might need them. He closed the doors and sat in the front with his father.

"I wasn't going to lecture you. I just wanted to give my only son," he emphasized the word only, "a nice and quiet ride to the hotel, and maybe talk about tonight's game."

"How very thoughtful of you," Gellert responded sarcastically.

"Don't use that tone with me!" his father yelled at him, looking at him threateningly. "Do you understand me?"

Gellert was used to the two of them fighting - they fought most days. Nevertheless, he hated when they fought in the car. It brought in him the painful memories of his mother's death, something he worked so hard to forget. 

His mother had the warmest smile anyone could have, as far as Gellert was concerned. She was the glue that held their family together - she brought her patience and kindness when his father pushed him too hard at basketball, even from the youngest age, and his father adored her for it. They were so happy then...

He was interrupted from his thoughts by someone grabbing his wrist tightly, yelling at him, "SAY YOU UNDERSTAND ME!"

He yanked off his wrist and replayed quietly, "I understand."

They spent the next hour in complete silence - his father driving and Gellert listening to his 'angry' metal music. That was until his father turned on the radio announcing results from tonight's game.

"You played well. I was very proud of you. It's such a shame the way the game ended," he started, but Gellert didn't hear a word from the music he was listening to, which only annoyed his father. 

He tried louder again, to which Gellert finally responded by taking off his headphones and asking, "What were you saying?"

"I was just saying it's a shame the way the game ended," his father replayed, and Gellert kept quiet. "Maybe, if you listened to my advice, you could have won the game," he continued.

"And maybe, if it wasn't for your stupid advice, we could have won," Gellert responded angrily.

"What is that supposed to mean?" his father asked, choosing to ignore the tone with which Gellert was speaking.

"It's supposed to mean that without your STUPID advice," he started, his anger only rising, "Travers wouldn't have got the idea to go for a flagrant foul in the last 5 seconds or less. And without that foul, I could have easily blocked that ball..." he concluded.

"Or maybe, if you did what I told you to do sooner, Travers wouldn't need to take out Albus Dumbledore in a poor attempt at the last moment." his father explained, raising his voice to match Gellert's anger.

"I can win without your help!" Gellert shouted.

His father stopped paying attention to the road ahead of him, now driving through the city of San Francisco, and yelled instead, "Like you did tonight?" 

Gellert wanted to reply, but at that moment, he saw a car driving straight at them from the other direction, so he used his reflexes to turn the steering wheel far-right to escape a frontal car crash. Their car almost drifted, and it scared the shit out of Gellert and his father, both of them fearing this is their end - they were going to die just like his mother did. By some miracle, they were left with no scratches. After a moment of silence, his father tried to apologize for not paying attention and to calm his son, but Gellert pushed him away saying, "I can't do this right now. I need some time alone. I'm going to grab a uber to the hotel, and you can go home as far as I'm concerned."

He took his bag from the back seat and said goodbye to his dad, who didn't respond, clearly shaken by this experience. He took his phone away, opened his uber app, and typed in Courtyard by Marriott hotel. When he arrived there after twenty minutes, he took the keys to his room from reception and went there to leave his bag. He was happy to be alone for a moment; however, his happiness didn't last long. Vinda sent him a text with an attached location of the party. He got out of bed, adjusted his jacket in the mirror, and put on his favorite perfume, Sauvage by Dior. He took one last look in the mirror, fixed his hair, and called an uber. 

Celebration for Hogwarts' basketball team started as soon as Albus walked on the bus. Everybody started singing 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow' while raising their water battles in the air and clapping when the song ended. The rest of the ride was no different -they sang songs like 'We Are the Champions' and 'Simply the Best' while having the time of their lives. When they arrived at the school's parking, it was already 11 pm, so they drove from parking straight to Slughorn's home. 

Most of the people from their school arrived before them and parked all over the neighborhood while waiting for the team at Slughorn's front lawn. It was a big, secluded house at Marine county, which probably costed a fortune. When Albus got out of the car, people rushed towards him, lifting him in the air, cheering and clapping for him and the rest of the team. After a while, they put him down and left to the house to grab some drinks. Albus decided against drinking - he was the designated driver for Aberforth, Elphias, and Moody. He took a look through the house, watching for his friends while stopping to shake hands with people who wanted to congratulate him on tonight's win. He spotted Minerva in the kitchens making her signature drink - half the glass filled with the cheap red wine on the rocks, and the other half filled with cola. As soon as she saw him, she put down her drink and ran to hug him like she hadn't seen him in ages. He lifted her in the air, and they hugged for a solid 30 seconds before putting her down.

Minerva McGonagall was something else. She was his oldest friend, but most people at their school thought they were a couple because they 'dated' for a week in middle school. They met in preschool at the age of five, and they were inseparable ever since. Minerva was an exceptional student, just as Albus was, and she worked as a tutor after school, which wasn't surprising considering she already dressed like a teacher and acted like a mom (Albus liked to tease her about it). She was a tall, thin girl who wore cardigans and sweaters to school, and had her dark hair usually tied in a bun. Tonight, her hair was down, and she wore a beautiful smile on her face.

"So, tell me, Albus, how does it feel to win this championship?" she asked, pretending to hold a microphone for him. 

"It feels incredible. I still can't believe this has happened. You should've seen how happy and proud Coach Dippet was on the ride home." he replayed with a smile.

"I'm so happy for you. I know how much basketball means to you and how much you deserve this, but I have to ask; now that you're the most popular guy in the school, will you still have time to hang out with geeks like me?" she teased. 

"With you? Always!" he responded and brought her closer for a friendly hug.

"So, Mr. Popular, what are you drinking tonight?" she asked, still holding him close.

"I'm on duty tonight," he replayed while motioning his head to Moody, who was celebrating with the keg stand in the living room, "I'm driving Moody, Aberforth, and Elphias home tonight."

"Okay, the Club Soda it is," she took a bottle from the fridge and passed it to him.

They stood together in silence, leaning on the kitchen bar until Albus remembered he saw Minerva's crush at a party. 

"I saw your future husband here. Have you seen him?" he asked.

"I haven't, but you'll never believe who I saw!" she responded excitedly. 

"Who?" he asked curiously.

"Cheerleaders form Durmstrang Institute. I can't believe someone invited them here." 

"That was probably Slughorn. He has some weird obsession with cheerleaders," he added. 

"Uh, gross!" she commented with a disgusted face. "But why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Is anyone else here from Durmstrang?" Albus asked cautiously. "I mean, besides the cheerleaders?"

"No, I don't think there are. Why? Are you looking for someone?" she asked suspectingly.

Albus slightly blushed and lied, "No. I was just curious." 

As soon as Minerva mentioned Durmstrang Institute, his heart started racing. He was hoping that Gellert Grindelwald was at the party, as well. He didn't even know Gellert, yet he felt the strangest connection with the handsome boy. It wasn't an attraction; it was fascination. Albus never saw anyone play like Gellert - he was talented, quick, strong, and he knew how to make the right play at the right time, without forcing. He played better than most professionals, all the while being charming and beautiful.

Minerva saw Albus blushing, but decided not to comment on it, dropping the subject. "How's your nose? I was really worried when that guy hit you," she asked, breaking the silence.

"Enough about me. I'm okay, don't worry. There is someone I'd like you to meet." he said and started lightly pulling Minerva towards the living room.   
  
"Who?" she replayed curiously.

He just smiled wickedly, and by the time they stopped walking, it was obvious who it was. 

"Hi Dougal, this is my friend Minerva I've been talking to you about earlier," Albus introduced embarrassed Minerva to Dougal McGregor.

Minerva has been crushing on Dougal for two years now, ever since she sat behind him in math class at their school. Dougal was handsome and intelligent, but Minerva was too shy to do anything about him, so Albus decided to take the matter into his hands, and tonight was the perfect opportunity.

"Hello Minerva, I'm Dougal McGregor. Your friend Albus has told me so many nice things about you. I'm so happy to meet you." Dougal said with a genuine smile, introducing himself to Minerva. 

Two years ago, he sat in front of her in math class, and there, he developed a huge crush on her, but up until today, he thought she dated Albus. When he saw Albus walking around the house at tonight's party, he went to congratulate him on winning the championship and casually mentioned he knew Albus's girlfriend. After Albus explained to him the truth, laughing the whole time, Dougal realized he should have introduced himself to Minerva sooner and ask her for a phone number, instead of continually borrowing things from her during their class. 

"Hi, Dougal. I'm Minerva McGonagall. I think we've met before, two years ago. If I remember correctly, you sat in front of me at math thought by Mr. Filch." she said, shaking Dougal's hand. 

She didn't sound like it, but Albus could see just how nervous yet excited she was. The two of them took to each other at once and after a while, Albus made some lame excuse and went outside, leaving the two of them alone.

Gellert arrived at a party late, hoping everyone's going to be drunk so no one will bother him. After he got out of the uber, he went straight for the bar, where he took three tequila shots and poured two whole cups of wine before going outside. His goal was to get drunk and do it fast.

He was usually in better spirits, but tonight he lost the state championship title, almost died in a car crash that reminded him of his mum, and got into another fight with his dad. He wasn't in a mood to talk with anyone, so he went outside to find some quiet place where he could be alone. Slughorn's house had a pool and a basketball court outlined by some trees for shade and privacy. He saw someone sitting under one of the trees, looking at the court, drinking. He started walking in that direction, curious about the lonely person, until the person turned around, revealing someone least expected - Albus Dumbledore. 

"Why are you here alone instead of celebrating with your friends and the rest of your team?" Gellert asked, genuinely interested.

"I wanted to be alone for a while." Albus replayed softly. "What about you?"

"Same..." he responded. "Would you mind if I sat next to you?"

"No," Albus answered and moved a bit in order to make some room for Gellert to sit next to him.

They sat in compassionate silence, no one daring to break it. Albus kept looking at the court, drinking his soda. He thought about his dad and how he would've reacted to tonight's win.   
Gellert was trying to forget about his loss, his dad, and most of all his mum. He thought about her every day - every morning when he ate alone, every time he came from school and she wasn't there to kiss him and ask him how his day went, but tonight he couldn't get her out of his head.

He finished his drinks and finally spoke, "What are you drinking?"

Albus snapped out of his thoughts and looked confusedly at Gellert. Gellert repeated his question. "I'm going to grab myself something to drink; can I get you anything?"  
  
Albus smiled and replayed, "Yea, sure. Could you get me some soda? It doesn't matter which one."  
  
"You don't drink alcohol?" Gellert asked curiously.  
  
"Sometimes," Albus started, a little bit embarrassed. He must look like a complete loser to Gellert. "I'm driving my brother and my friends home after the party, so I'm sticking to soda."  
  
Gellert stood up and replayed, "Okay, one soda coming right up."   
  
Gellert started walking towards the kitchen when he heard someone yelling, "What the fuck are you doing here?" He turned around and saw some guys from Hogwarts picking a fight with his teammates, who just arrived at the party.

"You weren't invited! Especially not you," Aberforth said, pushing Travers.

Travers didn't waste a second before pushing Aberforth away from him. Gellert left his drinks at the kitchen bar and hurried to the living room to separate the fight, but it wasn't soon after that someone pushed Gellert. He turned around angrily and saw a younger Dumbledore before him. 

"You are not welcomed here! It's time for you to leave," stated Aberforth.

Gellert took a step closer and asked threateningly in a low voice, "And who's gonna make me?"

Aberforth replayed boldly, lightly pushing Gellert with his hand, "You don't scare me. You are just a pathetic loser, like the rest of your team."

That was enough for Gellert. If he was sober or maybe in a better mood, he wouldn't have punched a younger Dumbledore straight in the nose, but that's precisely what he did. Before the fight could escalate even further, Vinda got in between Gellert and Aberforth. 

"Gellert, stop it!" she started, trying to calm Gellert down. She knew him well enough to know how fast he can lose his composure and how far he would go in those situations. "I think it's better if we go."

"I think so too," replayed Albus in a way that left no room for discussion. 

After Gellert went to grab the drinks, Albus heard some noise coming from the house. He quickly got up and went to the house just to see the same Gellert punching his brother in the face. Aberforth fell on the ground, holding his nose, and Albus rushed to help him. He held his hand for Aberforth who took it, before replaying to Vinda's advice.

Gellert looked at him without a word and just walked away from the party, the rest of his team following.

When the situation calmed a bit, Albus went to the kitchen to grab some hand towels and ice. 

"Put this on your face," he said, holding the ice wrapped in the towel in his hand for Aberforth.

"Thank you," Aberforth replayed, taking the ice and putting it on his face before adding, "but I don't need your help, Albus."

"It's just ice," Albus replayed, clearly confused by this sudden tone from Aberforth.

"I mean about the fight - I can take care of myself!" Aberforth responded.

"I know you can," Albus started, "I was only trying to help."

"Well, I don't need your help," Aberforth replayed and got up, leaving Albus alone.

After leaving the party, Gellert and the rest of the boys got in the car and drove to the first convenience store. There, Gellert bought cigarettes and a few bottles of whiskey and gin with his fake id, after which they somehow ended up drinking at the Hogwarts parking lot, in front of the gym entrance. They ended up pretty wasted, everyone except for Grimmson, who was the designated driver. Sometime after 3 am, drunk Gellert took one of the bottles and smashed it on the gym wall while the rest of the guys laughed. He managed to light up one more cigarette before they decided to return to the hotel, but what he didn't know at the time was that this exact cigarette would be the cause for the fire, which will ultimately change his life. 


End file.
